'Kill Bill' actor Michael Madsen charged with DUI for the second time in ten years
Actor Michael Madsen has been charged with two counts of drunken driving misdemeanor after he ran his SUV into a pole last month. He had been arrested on March 24 and then released from jail a day later. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had disclosed that the actor, who was very drunk was driving a Land Rover in Malibu, California when he ran into a pole. The incident is said to have occurred around 8 p.m on the day of his arrest and after questioning him, he had been placed under arrest. He wasn't hurt during the incident.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said in a statement that the actor had been driving with .08% blood alcohol content during the incident. He was charged Tuesday with one count each of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol within 10 years of another DUI offense. He has not entered a plea deal as of now and is to appear in court on May 20.
If convicted as charged, Madsen faces a possible maximum sentence of 364 days in jail, reports CBS.
This is the second time the 61-year-old actor has been slapped with a DUI. His attorney, Perry C. Wander reportedly told Associated Press that the actor is unhappy and that he was working on it. "Dealing with the fact that being famous and having money does not bring happiness presents very difficult challenges that are often dealt with through self-medication,” Wander said. “Michael has a lot of insight into his situation and is going to take this matter very seriously," he said.
Madsen who is known for starring in Quentin Tarantino movies such as 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Kill Bil' was in another DUI case in 2012. At the time he was also hospitalized after his arrest although the nature of the ailment was not disclosed. He was caught driving erratically on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu at the time. In a preliminary test, Madsen registered a .21 blood alcohol level, but his lawyer went on to call the breath analyzer flawed.
